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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
He Wears the Rose of Youth Upon Him, February 24, 2005
From Which the World Should Note Something Particular. Shakespeare.
There was something astonishingly particular about William Pitt the Younger. The second son of the Earl of Chatham (Pitt the Elder) was a child prodigy. He was admitted to Cambridge at age 14, elected to Parliament at age 21 and appointed Prime Minister at age 24. Twenty-two years later, of which twenty were spent as Prime Minister, Pitt died at age 46.
William Hague was something of a prodigy himself. He gave his first major political address at a Conservative Party Conference in 1977 at age 16. Hague was elected to Parliament at age 28 and became the Conservative Party's leader at age 36, the youngest party leader in 200 years. Hague's rhetorical skills, like Pitt the Younger, are excellent. Some observers (not all of them Conservatives) believed that Hague regularly bested Labour P.M. Tony Blair in debates in the House of Commons. After a losing the 2001 general election and the leadership of his party Hague was asked to write his Memoirs. He indicated that an autobiography was approximately 40 years premature and sat down to write the biography of his idol Pitt the Younger instead.
Hague has done an excellent job here. Although meticulously researched this is a readable, popular biography. Hague's prose style is precise and flows very smoothly.
Hague quickly takes us through Pitts early years and the events surrounding his first election to Parliament. His impact on Parliament was soon felt and within two years King George III twice asked Pitt to form a new government. It was only when Pitt was certain that he could maintain control of a new government that Pitt accepted the King's offer when it was made for the third time.
The first nine years of Pitt's leadership were turbulent but peaceful and it was as a peacetime leader that Pitt demonstrated enormous administrative skills. Pitt virtually created the mechanism by which any government oversees its finances. By the end of that nine-year period Britain's financial position was better than it had ever been before. It was this financial strength that facilitated Britain's survival during the three crises that marked the remaining years of Pitt's time in office: the madness of King George III, the foreign and domestic trials created by the French Revolution and the even greater trials created in the wake of the rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Hague's narrative style is straight forward and informative as he discusses Pitt's response to these crises. The complexity of the parliamentary and political system of 18th century Britain was Byzantine to say the least. However, Hague, because of his experience in Parliament, was able to explain those complexities without detracting from his narrative. This is no small accomplishment.
One of the most important aspects of the book for me was the discussion of the relationship between Pitt and his major adversary during his entire premiership, Charles James Fox. Hague's discussion of that relationship made Fox quite appealing in many respects. As Pitt steered Britain from crisis to crisis he turned increasingly to repressive measures (squashing free speech, toughening sedition laws and limiting the right to free assembly) to ensure Britain's security from perceived external threats to its security. The largest threat of course was that of the anti-monarchical forces unleashed by the French Revolution. Throughout Fox's years as the leader of the opposition he fought Pitt's repressive legislation every step of the way. Fox stood squarely on the side of free speech and opposed to attempts to sacrifice his fellow citizens' freedoms on the mere declamation of a threat to security. He kept losing those battles but he did fight the good fight.
The battle over the balance between freedom and security is one that confronts us today. Hague's concluding analysis discusses this issue at some length. He is of course favorable to Pitt and defends him admirably. It takes nothing away from the quality of Hague's writing to note that I fell more squarely into the Fox camp.
Hague pays a good deal of attention to Pitt's personal life, particularly his drinking. He was reported to have downed three bottles of Port a day. There is little doubt that this undoubted alcoholism played a role in Pitt's early death. Hague also spends time discussing the lack of women in Pitt's life. He does not shy away from the issue and analyzes in some detail the close relationship he had with his male colleagues. I felt Hague's conclusions, that Pitt was one of those rare totally chaste people whose entire life was focused on one thing and one thing only, to be well founded if a bit speculative.
Hague has indicated that he intended and expected this book to be a popular history that could be enjoyed by any reader. This book lived up to Hague's expectations and also to mine. I recommend this book to anyone with any interest in British history. It is enjoyable and well worth reading.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exceptional first effort!, February 9, 2005
William Hague's biography of Pitt the Younger has excited much comment and interest in the UK because Hague was one of the youngest men ever to lead a major political party. As Leader of the Conservative Party in the UK he most certainly had his troubles but he did bring a breath of clean air by virtue of his freshness, commitment and youth. Therefore, it might be fair to say that his own perspective on Pitt would be of exceptional value.
However, he has succeeded in writing a very straightforward and excellently researched biography of Pitt without overlaying his own experiences and views. This is excellent because I wanted to read a biography, not a polemic.
Pitt was the son of one of the most famous politicians of the 18th or any century - William Pitt the Elder. As a young boy he was brought up in an environment saturated with politics and coloured by scholarship and academia. He became one of the most polished parliamentary debaters the world has ever seen and his success was down to a firm grounding in how to argue.
I am particularly interested in the period during which he served as prime minister: the 1780s to 1806. This was a time of great change in Britain: the industrial revolution, the end of the American wars, increased economic successes, the upheaval in France and the inevitable "world war" of Napoleon. Also, there were new liberal ideas coming forth: Catholic emanicipation, an Irish parliament, an end to slavery. Pitt's remarkable achievement was that his sound fiscal acumen allowed Britain to stay solvent, able to afford (just) the long, long Napoleonic wars, whilst at the same time keeping a lid on a fractious Parliament dominated by himself and the always fascinating Charles James Fox. True party politics were evolving into a format recognisable to us today.
Some reviewers on the UK amazon site have criticised the author for not drawing out Pitt's personality. However, I agree with Hague's conclusions that Pitt was, to some extent unknowable in that his entry into high office at 24 and very long tenure meant that essentially the same person at 46 that he was at 24; his dedication and deep sense of public service meant that his political life was akin to a vocation. His personal qualities of loyalty, discretion and tenacity are shown clearly in this book - a lack of histrionic character traits does not mean we do not learn about his personality: rather we learn by default of his robustness of character and his innate sense of service.
I enjoyed this very much. It's quite long but not at all difficult to read. I was particularly struck with the deep and abiding friendship Pitt had with William Wilberforce who encouraged Pitt to end the slave trade. Although the changes in the law did not occur until after Pitt's death, nonetheless it was something he was keen to do. Hague has commented in the British press that he is considering writing a biography of either Pitt the Elder or Wilberforce next; I am keeping my fingers crossed for Wilberforce - someone I'd like to learn more about.
An excellent first book about a man who was as open as a book and yet will always be something of a mystery to those of the modern and more self-seeking world of today because of those personal attributes that made him such a model of public service.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An especially fine biography of a man of unique service, March 12, 2005
As a rule, I believe that Americans would be better off if they read and understood more about history. It is important to read widely enough, both in breadth of scope and time, to provide a rich and useful understanding of how things have become what they are. While we cannot read everything, let alone retain it all in our memory, there are certain times, events, and even single lives that can provide valuable structure to our understanding of the world.
In my view, knowing more about the history of Great Britain can help Americans understand more about our origins as a nation, provide a richer context for our founding, get a better fix on our own place in the world through time, and how we grew into a dominant power in the world. This particularly fine biography of William Pitt the Younger concerns itself with the time immediately after Britain's American Colonies became the United States up to Pitt's death in 1806 in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars.
This is an especially rich time in history because everything was in flux and so much was at risk. The French Revolution of 1789 soon became The Terror. Great Britain struggled to recover from the blow of losing her American Colonies and putting herself forward as a still relevant global power. The United States actually benefited in many ways from the Europeans being so absorbed in fighting each other in these decades. However, that is a story for another time.
William Pitt the Younger was the extraordinary second son of the also extraordinary William Pitt. The father dominated the House of Commons for many years including the time during the American Revolution. He was universally loved as The Great Commoner and retired as a Lord. William the Younger was endowed with certain intellectual gifts in fabulous abundance. He had a tremendous capacity for oratory. He trained himself by reading the Classics in Latin and Greek. He learned mathematics particularly as it related to finance. And of course he learned by observing his father's work in Parliament and in discussions with him. He focused his whole life and all his energies to service in the House of Commons with a view only on the position of greatest power.
Britain was adrift when Pitt came to Parliament. Great things were expected of him and his early speeches confirmed his gifts. He sought front line leadership from the beginning and due to his gifts and unique circumstances he became First Lord of the Treasury (what later became Prime Minister) at twenty-four years old. He soon earned the favor of a strong majority and through his scrupulous dealings became known as Honest Billy. He was one of the first to use the rapidly growing newspaper industry as a tool to govern through the development of his image.
He put Britain's finances back in order, protected the monarchy during George the III's bouts of madness, and deftly handled all the governmental issues of the empire including issues involving India and the great trading companies. He completely dominated the Whigs and led the way to the founding of the modern Conservative (Tory) party. He finally resigned after 17 years in power. He did so for many reasons, but the issue that seemed to provoke it was Catholic Emancipation, which the King refused to even consider because he considered it a violation of his duty as King and Head of the Established Church.
Also, Pitt's health was beginning to fail. He had dedicated his whole life to the service of his country and the maintenance of his power and dominance in the House of Commons and the strain was beginning to tell. Pitt never married nor did he develop a new circle of friends or wider interests during his time in power, which was essentially his whole life from his early twenties until his death at forty-six. Hague has some keen observations on the way serving in high political office has the effect of freezing a person at that stage of life until they leave power. Pitt is one of the most extreme examples of this effect.
At the zenith of Pitt's power the French Revolution occurred and was soon followed by the calamity of the Napoleonic Wars. While he led Britain through the wars ably, his gifts for war were not as sure as his gifts for finance. Another issue that he confronted during his time in office was the issue of abolishing the slave trade. Neither the ending the wars nor, nor Catholic Emancipation, nor abolishing the slave trade was accomplished during his lifetime.
Pitt chose Addington as his successor. The response of others can be understood through a little couplet. "Pitt is to Addington as London is to Paddington". He returned to power within a few years, but died in office in less than two years.
As a biographer, William Hague is in many ways a perfect choice for William Pitt the Younger. Hague has an eloquence that is inviting and informs without bogging down. He also brings a special insight into some of the more obscure decisions Pitt made because Hague also served in the House of Commons and came to office in his twenties. Mr. Hague also became leader of the Conservative party (the descendent of the party that rose from Pitt's legacy) at thirty-six and despite losing to Tony Blair, he fully understands the massive demands of front line political leadership. Mr. Hague continues to serve as a Member of Parliament for Richmond, Yorkshire as well as being active in many other duties and activities.
I saw an interview with the author about this book. He said that he would also like to write biographies of Pitt the Elder and Pitt the Younger's friend, Wilberforce, who had so much to do with abolishing the slave trade. I want to encourage him to write both. His excellent writing conveys his passion for this period of history, and his analyses provide helpful and entertaining insights to the way politics worked then and how it works today.
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